Fumbe Chama, popularly known as Pilato, says that the Yellow Card protestors will continue exposing some law breakers who are masquerading as leaders in state institutions.
A fortnight ago, the Yellow Card protestors were scheduled to hold a peaceful rally in Lusaka against corruption, but were denied by the police, who cited lack of manpower to provide security for the procession.
The protestors, however, wrote an appeal letter to Minister of Home Affairs Steven Kampyongo asking him to overrule the police’s decision.
And in an interview, Chama, a civil rights activist, said his team comprising of Laura Miti, Maiko Zulu and Gunduzani Mwale was willing to do everything legally permissible to ensure that people’s rights were not abrogated.
He said Kampyongo would be breaking the law if he refused to respond to their appeal.
“We feel this irresponsible leadership must be called to order by the people and that’s what we will be doing. If the Minister (Kampyongo) refuses to respond to us for whatever reason, he will be breaking the law of this country, just like the Commissioner of Police for Lusaka did. We will do what the Constitution says we should do in such a situation. We will continue to rely on the sufficient provisions of the law and to expose the law-breakers, who masquerade as leaders in State institutions,” Chama said.
He reiterated that the Yellow Card protest was about ensuring public officers holders were held accountable for their misdeeds.
“The Yellow Card protest is about respecting the law of the land and the resources of the country. The people of this country will be raising their Yellow Card to their political leaders who have become so excited with power and in the process have become criminals, stealing from the poor people of this country,” Chama said.
“It was inspired by the escalating levels of corruption in the country and the abuse of power by political leaders. The public has witnessed how public servants have become rich, whilst the country is getting broke by the day! We have ministers with 49 houses whilst the country still has homeless people in abundance. We have seen government workers going without salaries for months, while the workers of the ministers getting salary increments. We have seen how the powerful have chosen to close the Copperbelt University (CBU) as an exhibition of their power, while they continue to send their children to private schools. This is the reality that has inspired the Yellow Card campaign.”
Meanwhile, Pilato said Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo was scared of the anti-corruption crusade, hence his antagonistic attitude to the protestors.
“Minister Lusambo is scared of something and we understand him. He is an MP for a constituency (Kabushi) in Ndola that was able to feed itself, but today, he has to buy food for the people. The country has become too broke to feed its people, while the MP has enough money to buy with bags of mealie meal, cooking oil plus more for them! I have lived in Ndola for more than 30 years, at no time did the people of Kabushi cry for alms from the government. The people of Kabushi are honorable people who believe in hard work. They are proud to be businessmen and women. If you walked in Kabushi two years ago, you would find every household with some form of business. These are strong people who have earned their dignity. For Bowman Lusambo, today, to declare them a charity case then we should worry! Yellow Card is inspired by such realities,” said Pilato.
2 Responses
Enter your comment here…viva pilato and others God is watching
Forgive Lusambo. He has a habit of wanting to make a name out of other people’s calamities by masquerading as a helper just like he did in Kabushi. He always wants to display his reputation entrepreneurial skills even where he is supposed to find lasting solutions to the calamity for which he is part of the cause.